Reunited...With Baby. Sara Orwig

she had already turned back to a gash she was stitching. The smaller white horse stood patiently, but she wondered if it would collapse any minute. It didn’t seem to care what she did or that she was even there.

      By midnight there were still horses that needed tending to, and Luke was still fixing a stock tank. She wanted to keep working but, mindful of little Carl and her mother, she walked into the shadows, trying to get out of Luke’s earshot before calling home.

      As expected, her mother began to argue for her to come home, reminding her again that being with Luke was going to dredge up all kinds of pain.

      “Do you really want to go through all that again?” her mother asked.

      “Mom, I’m taking care of very sick horses and some of the cattle need attention. They’re in dire shape, and I’m not abandoning them to die when I can save most of them.”

      “My heavens! How awful. I haven’t heard anything bad like that about the Double U. Even so, Scarlett, I’m worried about you.”

      “Mom, this is my job, to save animals. This is why I became a vet. I’m needed here and we can already see a difference in some horses.”

      “Scarlett, Luke is going to hurt you again. Maybe even worse this time because you’re not kids anymore. Please get out of there and come home. Baby Carl and all the family need you. You don’t want to go through all that loss and hurt again, and that’s what will happen if you stay.”

      “No, I won’t. I won’t let it happen.” There was a long pause, and she knew her mother was giving up and could not continue arguing.

      “Take care of yourself, then. We love you,” her mom said. “And before you start to get caught up in old feelings with that man, just remember that Luke will go home to Silicon Valley in a few days and you won’t hear from him until the next time he pays a visit here.”

      She sighed. “I love you, Mom, and I love my family. Luke’s dad has done a terrible thing, and bearing witness to it makes me so thankful for all of you. I’ll take care of myself, I promise,” she said, wondering if she really could keep that promise, or if she would just cave if Luke wanted to hug or kiss her. She almost laughed aloud as she ended her call. Her amusement fled when she looked back and saw the lights, the weak horses, the cows in another pasture. Was she being foolish and risking her heart to try to save horses that might not survive no matter what she did?

      But she felt she had to stay. She had taken an oath to help animals, and she took that oath seriously.

      She just hoped she could resist Luke, but then again, she might not have any reason to worry about resisting him. He probably had a woman waiting in Silicon Valley for his return.

      Her attention was taken again by the ailing horses. She suspected Luke was right about the cattle. There were few left that he had found, and she imagined nearly all the Double U cattle had been rustled long ago. Luke said he would continue searching for more when daylight came, but so far he hadn’t found any. She continued to nurse the horses, wondering if she would have to work through daybreak. Dinner had given her another spurt of energy, but that was beginning to fade. She glanced at Luke as he repaired holes in the water tank, going over them a second time.

      He was the golden boy from Royal who had gone west and made a fortune in Silicon Valley. He hadn’t been interested enough in her in high school to want to continue their relationship, to want her with him or to want to return to Royal to be with her. How many times did she have to remind herself that he really had no lasting interest in her? He had liked to kiss and make love, but he could turn around, walk out the door and forget all about her without a moment’s regret. Walking out on her didn’t make her blood run cold, but thinking Luke would do that to Carl did. She couldn’t bear that kind of hurt. She glanced at him again. Flickering lantern lights spilled over him, turning his skin golden and highlighting his firm, muscular back and chest, his powerful shoulders and biceps, his flat stomach. She tingled as her gaze ran over him. Her mouth had gone dry, and her heart thumped swiftly. She wanted his arms around her, his mouth on hers. She could remember his kisses. Absolutely. Too well, she could recall his mouth on hers, making her quiver with eagerness, with steaming lust, with hunger for his hands and his body.

      He turned to look at her. Startled, she realized how she stared as his gaze narrowed. She spun away and bent over a horse to cleanse and patch a wound while her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

      She lost track of time until she glanced at her watch and saw it was after two a.m. About ten minutes later, Luke appeared and caught her wrist, lifting it as she was about to give a horse a shot.

      “I think you should call it a night.”

      “Luke, there are still horses here I haven’t treated. I don’t want to stop.”

      “Aren’t you tired?”

      “Yes, but I can keep going and I want to.”

      He studied her and nodded. “Okay, a little while longer.”

      When he turned and left, she went back to work. The next time he appeared, he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Scarlett, it’s late,” he said. His voice was husky, his hand lightly squeezing her shoulder.

      She turned to look up at him. He stood close, and her heart beat faster as she shook her head. “I can’t quit.”

      “Yes, you can, for a little while. Come on. Let’s get a couple of hours of sleep before the sun comes up. I’ve got a blanket in the back of the pickup.”

      Luke was bare chested, too appealing, too sexy, too damned handsome. His looks had only gotten better over time. Her gaze drifted to his mouth, to scorching-hot memories of his mouth on her body.

      “You remember just as much as I do,” he said in a deep, husky voice that played over her like a caress.

      She drew a breath and met his gaze, her cheeks burning. “I may remember, but that’s all. It won’t go any further than that,” she whispered.

      “Scared to kiss me, Scarlett? After all this time, it won’t mean anything.”

      “Don’t try to goad me into doing something in anger that I wouldn’t do otherwise,” she said, annoyed with him, and with herself, because she wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him until he would wish he hadn’t pushed her into it. But she knew better than to do that.

      “Okay, Scarlett, go back to work. So will I. I’ll come back in half an hour or so. If you want to quit before then, just let me know.”

      “Of course I will,” she said sweetly, running her hands lightly over a horse, feeling its bones and wondering how it could even stand. She forgot about Luke as she went back to work. She finally began to feel tired, but she still didn’t want to stop. As she worked, Luke appeared again. He reached out, and his hand closed on her wrist. “C’mon. Let’s get a little sleep. The sun will be over the horizon in a couple of hours. We’ll get back to this when the sun comes up.”

      Nodding, she didn’t argue. She left him, hurrying to the barn and the tiny room with minimal facilities. Even so, she felt refreshed when she stepped out. She was so tired it shouldn’t matter if they both slept in the back of his pickup, except she knew it would.

      “Luke, we can’t both sleep in the back of your pickup.”

      “Why the hell not? There’s nowhere else—all of West Texas has rattlers, so the ground is out. The front seat isn’t big enough. You can keep your hands to yourself, and so can I. Don’t tell me you find me that irresistible?”

      She knew the last part was said in jest, but she was tired and frustrated because she didn’t want to end up handing him her heart again, and, if they made love, she was afraid that was exactly what would happen.

      Annoyed, she stepped close to stab his chest with her forefinger. “You know you’re attractive. You know I feel something, and I know you feel something, too. If we get in the back of your pickup, we won’t sleep. I’m realistic enough to know that and honest enough